Sounds like a great plan. I'm also focused on trying to be sure that form stays clean. I expect to be on L5 for a good while. L4 took me 16 weeks. So, I'll be pleased if I can get through L5 in 20. That puts me leveling up in April or so.

Really, though, the number one thing, as you say above, is just keeping at it. If I can get a year or two of consistent motivation out of the simplefit routine, that will be a great thing. I like the push of trying to constantly improve. But, in terms of the big life goals, I would be quite content if I could maintain an L5 level of fitness for the next 20 years or so.

This week was HARD. I really didn't feel like hurting myself ahead of MASSIVE PARTY NIGHT so I took it pretty easy on D3, and will have to settle for a slide back. Am writing this on the 9th and haven't done anything since the 1st so I'm looking at a hard few weeks of getting back on top of L5!

l5d1 - 16 rounds (+0, equal record), no negs, didn't feel as awfully ruined as usual after and was mad at myself for not hurrying up in the last few minutes and setting a new record. Will Try Harder Next Time.
l5d2 - 7:10 (-0:45, new record)
l5d3 - 12:58 (+1:32, +minutes on cheaty record)

So my D3 time was way longer but I blame my new workout space. I've found a much nicer park to work out at, with the added benefit the overhead bar is just a touch out of my comfortable reach. So I have to do every chin-up properly and I can't get slack and start cheating my way through it with a little bounce. And I drop to full arm/chest extension, not just till my feet hit the ground.

The extra work on the chinups really extended my rest times, I spent more time standing around waiting for my arms to be ready to go again than I did working out.

I'm pretty sore today as well, which shows me how much I've been cheating! So this will be my official "challenge" location for some time to come I think.

Work has been annoying and running late for weeks, so I started off the year all blissed out from holidays and not SFing properly, then stressed, then holidaying again ... back on it now.

I found that up on L5 I wasn't making progress and I was HATING every single time out. So I've dropped back to level 4 till I can easily smash it (god knows how I ever passed it properly?), and I'm back to not resenting SF again. So I'll stick it out on L4 until I can really easily pass it. It does still make me sore in new places each week, so I am certain I'm bringing muscle groups up to speed. No need to smash them with L5 just yet.

My goal for the year is actually only to be working on L6, so six months working through L4 won't bother me.

Welcome back! Alas, muscle does seem to go away faster than it arrives. Hopefully this experience will help you keep at it more consistently from here forward. It's hard. Motivation and consistency are key.

L2d1 - 23 rounds. No subs. Attacked in sets of two (1/3/4 x 2, rest, go again).
L2d2 - 4:28, no subs.
L2d3 - 3:53. No subs, appalling form on last pull but was racing so threw in a quick negative to make up for it and kept moving. Pulls in sets of three, pushes in sets of five, squats straight.